Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe today marked the start of 2009...crazy! Since Cary and I had the day off we spent part of it lounging around (since we stayed up until almost 4am talking and spending time together!) and the latter part outside with the kids. It was Chance's first time outside in full snow-gear - he had a great time, though he was a bit skeptical of the snow drifts since the couple he tried to scale caused him to dive in face first. Brendan and Halle both wore their snow-shoes for a bit while they trudged around in the deep snow, which was fun for them as they barely wore them last year.
Here is Chance, fully decked out in winter gear...
A couple of shots of the kids hanging out in the snow...
Chance on his first sled ride...
...oops! On the way down the hill he fell backwards and couldn't sit himself back up....
Despite the tip, he had a blast!
The wind chill was cold, however, so after a bit we headed inside. Check out the curly hair and red cheeks!

Celebrating Christmas with Grandpa David and Grandma Connie!

This past weekend we headed to Grandpa David and Grandma Connie's house to celebrate Christmas. We had a fantastic time!! The kids had fun and got more great gifts, as did the adults! Chance and Kenedi are such fun as they are both getting around more and interact with each other. It's very cute!
The kids hanging out in Grandpa David's chair...

We were so fortunate to get a few pictures of the kids' great-grandparents...

First, a picture of Great-Grandma Marion and Great-Grandma Margie visiting during lunch...
Next - Great-Grandpa Bill and Great-Grandma Margie with Chance, then Halle, then all three kids...



Then Great-Grandpa Tom and Great-Grandma Marion with Halle and Chance, then all three kids...

A few shots of the kids opening presents...

Look at these outfits! Kenedi's says, "Kenedi Mae's First Christmas" and Chance's has his name on the butt -- SO CUTE!
Thanks to all for the gifts for all of us and for the wonderful time! We love you!

Merry Christmas!

Before the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve we made sure to leave cookies and milk for Santa, carrots for the reindeer, and even sprinkled some "reindeer" food around in the snow outside. All of our diligence paid off with a visit from Santa in the wee hours on Christmas Day! The kids got up early and woke us with their excited whispers. Santa was generous and at one point Halle said, "Mama, this is the best Christmas EVER!" How right you are, Halle, how right you are...


Halle received an awesome horse and has hardly gotten off of it since she discovered it on Christmas morning...
Brendan received a remote control helicopter along with a few other things...Cool!
Chance got this ride-on zebra - it is SO cute! He is able to throw is leg over and get on, and once he's on he bounces on it like crazy.
Hilarious!

A Wonderful Christmas Eve

Christmas was so special this year as the kids (well, two of them at least) really "got" it and were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. We spent Christmas Eve as a family, munching on cesear salad, lasagna and garlic bread for dinner before opening our family gifts. The kids were so cute during dinner, trying their hardest to be patient and not ask the forbidden question..."is it time to open presents yet?"...for the 100th time. Having kids definitely brings back the sense of excitment and magic that is Christmas Eve. Here are some pictures from the evening.

FINALLY! Time to open presents!

When we were opening presents with Grandma Carol, Halle made mention of the fact that she wished she had a "Princess" semi. So, being the crafty person that she is, Carol made one! Isn't it cool?

Cary got a Pellet Gun - watch out, squirrels!

This is what is truly important about the holidays...spending time with those you love...